And the world goes round
by Cyanidas
Summary: Hermione is unhappy with her marriage due to a very certain brunette witch. When she's fed up with her husband she accidentally says something nobody should've heard. But karma's a bitch, isn't it? Hermione/Andromeda, Hermione/Ron mentioned. T for language.


**Hello again :) This is a simple oneshot and it's rather important to me. I noticed that there's practically NOTHING out there when it comes to Andromeda femslash. I love Andromeda. Who wouldn't. It's a shame, really, that's why I came up with this little idea and decided to write it down. Maybe there are more people who feel like a little Andromeda/Mione would lighten up their day. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. All's Rowlings. Plot is mine though**

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_Seconds turn to minutes and the minutes turn to hours and the hours turn to days and the world goes round and round and round…_

No, the world went round and round but nevertheless Hermione found it stopped turning every once in a while. It was some sort of a sick joke, really. It was so sick it made her cringe every time when she was reminded of it. She came to loathe it and eventually, she loathed herself. For being so incredibly stupid, so ludicrously dumb, for being such a moron. Most of all, she just wished she could escape from this place. It was as if she was suffocating. Drowning in the images in her head and in front of her eyes. And the people around her didn't even have the courtesy to leave her alone. Least of all her good-for-nothing husband.

"Oi Mione, join us" he called and she suppressed the urge of hitting him square in the face. Her self-control got the better of her. She simply shook her head.

"No, I'm a little sick" Wrong move, Granger. Wrong move. He hurried over and sat down next to her.  
"Are you okay?" he asked and touched her arm. It didn't take a second to shrug him off and getting up.  
"No Ronald, I wish to be alone!" she hissed and practically ran towards the door of the Burrow, not giving a shit about the looks the others shot her. Just as she was about to step through the entrance, she made the mistake of not paying attention.

This was one of those goddamn moments when the world stopped spinning.

"Sorry" she mumbled and tried to ignore the fact how close their bodies had been for a second. She had to run into that blasted person out of all people! Hermione cursed herself and squeezed herself through the door, falling into a sprint and running until her sides started to ache.

Then, she clenched her fists and screamed.

It was nightfall when she stopped her emotional outburst. It had been everything, rage, tears and hollow laughter. She needed this once in a while and nobody really bothered. It was dark and she began to freeze a little, yet she had no intention of returning to the Burrow. She would be annoyed by everyone AND she would most likely stand face to face with her own personal nightmare. Her mental state hadn't been the best for quite some time now. She was working day and night and slept three hours or less per day, plus Ron drove her crazy and she asked herself at least once a day why she was his wife. She wasn't pleasant to be around and, to be a little more honest, a real bitch to her students. Seriously, she had even overheard some students talking about how she took Snape's place. She loved her job, she really did, but nevertheless she had requested a break from Minerva. The elderly woman, her mentor and one of her closest friends had been worried enough to grant her her request. She had a one week holiday and wondered why she had decided to spend it at the Burrow. The sole purpose was to refrain herself from her sorrows and problems… Her students' stupidness clearly rubbed off on her as this was one of many very dumb decisions she had made. Hermione sighed and got up, cleaning her robes with a quick fling of her wand. She would have to head back. Ron was frantic by now; she knew it and they would give her hell for running away without another word. Still wrapped in her own thoughts she headed into what she thought was the right direction to the Burrow. It was dark and she couldn't even see her hands but she didn't bother casting a simple Lumos. The darkness eased her mind a little. Merlin, what would she give for three minutes without thinking about anything. Eventually, she caught sight of the Weasley home and her head started to ache once again. If she only found release… Standing in front of the door, she hesitated. She changed her mind and instead of going in, she walked back a few steps and stood next to a tree, hiding half of her body behind it and watching their actions through the big window. Harry and Ginny were cuddling on the couch, Ginny looked clearly worried. Molly paced around like a tiger in a cage and seemed to rant about something. Arthur looked out of the window and Hermione hid herself even further behind the tree. Then, there were Fred and George obviously trying to calm their mother. Next to them, was the very reason for Hermione's madness.

Andromeda Tonks. The beautiful and angelic Andromeda Tonks. The most striking feature wasn't her close resemblance to her sister. No, it was the fact that she was a little over 50, but still looked like she was in her late twenties. It was a Black family trait, Hermione had learned quite some time ago. Narcissa Malfoy herself didn't look a year over 30. Still, it was the middle sister that intrigued Hermione since she had first caught sight on her. She was the reason why Hermione's doubts about her marriage grew day after day; she was the reason why she couldn't sleep and the reason why she was partially insane and felt more like a mental case with each day passing. She watched her. She rarely met her, but when she did, she always felt like freaking out. She was such a kind nature, her features were softer than her dead sisters' and her eyes bigger and brighter. Her hair was beautiful, curly and of a soft brown color. She looked worried. Absentmindedly, she stroked her grandchild's blue hair and looked out of the window without focusing. It was like she expected to see someone…

It seemed to Hermione that the entire household was freaking out because she, a grown woman, had decided to take a late night stroll. These people really tended to overreact. When it was only Andromeda who looked out of the window and everybody else was occupied with something else, Hermione couldn't resist to giving up her camouflage. She was too far away to be seen, so she slowly took one step after another, her eyes never leaving her obsession's face. Suddenly, Andromeda's mouth opened and her eyes widened. She said something. Everyone's eyes were upon her. Ron stormed to the door and Hermione knew the show would have to begin.

"Mione! Where the hell have you been?" he called out and rushed forward. She sneered.

"I don't see why this should be of any importance. I'm back, ain't I?" she said icily, her eyes never leaving Andromeda who was standing behind the others. Ron looked at her, bewildered, clearly not getting how much he was getting on her nerves.

"Mione, where have you been?" Ginny asked softly, sensing that something was horribly wrong.

"Taking a walk" she answered shortly and brushed past the mass of people, avoiding Andromeda like she was poisonous. Hilariously, in a way, she was. She was about to climb the stairs in order to catch a couple of hours of sleep, when someone held her back. She recognized that grip everywhere.  
"What is it, Ronald?" she asked knowing full well that using his full name was never a good move. She was 25 and had been his wife for three years; she knew how to anger him. Unfortunately every time she tried to make a point there was no way around angering him. His eyes blazed.

"Listen, you just can't run off and come back and act like you're okay. You're clearly not!" she called louder than Hermione found acceptable. She furrowed her brows.

"Last time I checked I was 25 and NOT your property which means that I _can_ do things like running off and keeping the reason to myself" she snapped and freed herself from his grip. He didn't get the hint though and held her back again. Now, she felt how her control slipped and how close she was to becoming furious.

"I'm your husband, you have to tell me what your problem is, you. are. my. wife!"

Hermione hissed and slapped him.

"I don't have to do anything and that includes obeying you! If I had known what I've gotten myself into I would have thought twice about our marriage! Which, I may add, is a decision of mine I am starting to regret! I'm leaving. Maybe we'll meet at Christmas!" she shouted and ran up the stairs, not giving a fuck about what they were thinking. Ron had finally driven her over the edge so he would have to deal with the consequences. And if that meant he'd leave her, fine, so be it, after all he wasn't the one she was in love with… In a way he never had been. But he had been caring most of the time and a source of solace when she told him about her sorrows. At least of those she talked about. Some things she always kept under the surface. Slamming the door behind Ginny's room, she started to rummage through the things on the floor, throwing her books and clothes into her purse (so much for enlarging spells) and talked quietly to herself.

"Such a butthead… who does he think he is… Should've been showing him his borders long ago… Really should cancel this hilarious marriage… If he'd at least be the one I love… Darn it, I so need to get outta here. Deduct some points from innocent Hufflepuffs. Damnit, I'm really the new Snape"

Then, she turned around. Boy, what a mistake.

_Granger, you're as dumb as Ron sometimes._

Andromeda stood in the doorway, bewildered. So she had fucking heard her talking.

_Fuck it, she's wonderful…_

"Hello", Hermione said and felt like her mind was about to explode, overloaded by the tons of thoughts she had.

_She's beautiful._

_She could tell._

_Get out of here._

_Act like you hadn't said anything._

_She HAS heard you!_

_Leave. Now._

_Face the music._

_She's awesome._

_Don't stare._

_You're an idiot._

_You insult yourself._

_Shut up._

"You don't love him?"

_So much for pretending._

"I do. He wouldn't be my husband if I didn't" Hermione scolded herself for both lying and lying like a pleb. Yes. Looking at Andromeda she knew she didn't buy her lousy excuse. Hermione cleared her throat. How she hated that she felt and acted like a teenager when being around this woman.

"You should tell him" Hermione scowled and picked up her bag.

"I most certainly won't tell him anything. He will change and it's the best choice I can make. Neither would want to face the consequences if I did what I wanted" She laughed.

"Hilarious" she added.

_Imagine I went after you. _

She wanted to go downstairs again and say goodbye to Molly and Arthur and apologize, but Andromeda held her back. This time, Hermione didn't mind. She faced her and the expression in her face made Hermione melt.

"You won't be happy if you live in a marriage with someone you don't love" She tried to ignore the sharp pain in her chest. She, of all people, had to tell her something about happiness.

"It's not about happiness, Andromeda. It's about the lesser evil" With these words she walked past the older woman and brushed her arm. Hermione shuddered and then went downstairs as if the devil himself were after her. Only Molly and the twins had remained. The others were gone. Molly rushed towards her and looked directly in her eyes, almost pleadingly.

"Is it true? Do you think about breaking the marriage?" she asked and Hermione smiled, not aware that Andromeda had followed her.

"No, of course not, Molly. He just drives me insane from time to time, what I said was merely to knock him off his high horse. We will stay married" she said with a firmness in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Molly and Andromeda. The latter mumbled angrily to herself, something about 'misheard' and 'stubborn'. Hermione patted Molly on the shoulder and waved the twins goodbye.

"Until next time. I'll be here at Christmas" she said and with a soft 'pop', she was gone.

The next morning when Hermione Granger awoke, she decided it was a beautiful day. A beautiful day. She dressed into her favorite pair of robes and wore matching red jewelry. With a flick of her wand her hair was smooth and she left her chambers. She didn't know why, but she really felt like smiling, a fact as soon as she reached the Great Hall already made her students curious. She rarely smiled. She must've made an impressing sight, marching to the teacher's table in dark red robes and a black cloak that fluttered just like Snape's used to. Taking place next to Minerva, she reached for a glass of pumpkin juice and was oblivious to her teacher's astounded looks.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" she asked and Hermione smiled.

"I decided to come back sooner. I had a little of a run in at the Burrow and decided to come back after all. You know, torturing students is the only joy I have left" she joked and winked at the Headmistress who decided to leave it be. With that, she turned to her breakfast only to be interrupted a second later. The woman next to her nudged her with her elbow. Hermione nearly choked.

"What… is it?" she asked and coughed. Narcissa smiled at her and winked. After the war Lucius had been sentenced to Azkaban for a lifetime. Narcissa herself had been set under strict house arrest but managed to escape her fate when she applied for the post as teacher in D.A.D.A. and both her and her son were still teaching. The past three years Hermione had learned that Narcissa could be very pleasing company if she loosened up a little. With her being Head of Slytherin and Hermione being Head of Gryffindor, they were likely to pick a fight but as unbearable as their bickering sometimes was, it never left friendly terms. They grew a liking to each other and Narcissa had become her gossip partner (even though her son was much better at gossiping… Something Hermione would've never guessed. She liked to make fun of this girly trait) and she talked to her about minor problems. She was always the first to agree on how students weren't what they were once.

"I had a run in with a very frantic sister of mine yesterday evening. She told me to talk some sense into you. Even though I have no idea what she could've possibly meant with this, it seems that you left the Burrow at a rather... disturbed state" she said and Hermione resisted the urge to smash her head against the table.

"If I'm not too mistaken she even mentioned about you breaking the marriage?" she asked and Minerva coughed.

"Excuse me?" she gasped and looked at her former student as if she was mad. Hermione groaned.  
"Listen, I'd really prefer not discussing my private life neither here nor anywhere else. Would you mind dropping the subject?" Narcissa shrugged.

"Fine. But tell my sister" she answered. Hermione looked confused. Then, Narcissa looked at the entrance of the Great Hall. Hermione followed her gaze. This time, she really didn't care about anything or anyone and let her head hit the table. The pain though didn't let her forget that Andromeda Tonks was standing in the doorway, looking at her with her arms crossed and the fierce look implying that there was no way for Hermione to escape the intervention she was about to become part of.

"You really didn't waste a second, Andromeda" Hermione greeted her and found herself smiling at the older witch. Despite her being a slight pain in the ass, Hermione could jump in quarters because of happiness. She saw her so rarely it hurt every second she wasn't with her. She just wished the circumstances would be more enjoyable. The older witch sighed and gestured her to follow her. They were heading outside the castle and Hermione waited for the other witch to start talking.

"Why did you marry him?" she asked and Hermione suppressed the urge to groan. She had hoped that she would drop this subject.

"Because I love him" Hermione gladly answered. This was no lie. Andromeda furrowed her brows.

"Well you told me you didn't"

"I didn't tell you anything. I was rambling to myself and I was caught in my anger. Do you really think I would spend the rest of my life with someone I wouldn't love?" she asked and hoped this would shut Andromeda up.

"I think so considering you told me and I quote: 'It's not about happiness but about the lesser evil'"

Hermione had known this would get back at her eventually. She took her time to answer and sat down on a stone, crossing her legs. What was she supposed to say? She wished for nothing more but the older witch to drop the subject… Sadly there was only one way to shut her up and that required complete honesty. And Hermione wasn't willing or desperate enough to be honest.

"You do know that I won't back off until you tell me what you were thinking by marrying someone you don't even love"

"Yes, I fear so" shot Hermione back and groaned, ignoring the funny look Andromeda gave her.

"I trust you in keeping this to yourself. There is no need for rounding them up even more. It is my personal matter and I was able to cope quite well so far" she said, refusing to meet the other woman's eyes. She felt a light hand touching her shoulder and jumped. Another hand forced her head into Andromeda's direction.

"I won't betray your trust. But I will prove to be rather persistent. If you don't want to talk to me, please talk to someone else. I've noticed you've grown rather close to my sister and she can be very helpful if she chooses to. But frankly I don't want to see either you or Ronald unhappy" Hermione growled.

"Great job you did so far" she said with heavy sarcasm until she realized what a mistake she had made. Oh dear Merlin, don't let her be insulted. Oh and while we're at it, don't make her notice anything! Andromeda frowned.  
"You act like it was my fault"

And again Hermione proved to be utterly stupid when it came to love. She was silent just a second too long. Andromeda jumped off the stone.  
"Why on earth are you blaming me? I seriously doubt that Ronald would be in love with ME!" she sneered and Hermione blushed furiously. She turned around and started to walk back to the castle. She faced Andromeda one last time, smiled and before practically running to the castle she addressed the brunette:  
"Not Ronald, darling. Not Ronald"

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**I know I'm being a pain in the ass but I still leave it like this. It's up to your imagination what happens after this. Let me know if you like it or not. Chances for a sequel are very slim as I'm occupied enough with my other fic and another one that still has to be written. It'll be Dromeda/Mione though as I've grown rather fond of this pairing. Beware... :)**


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